When the Duchess of Cornwall was asked to choose her favourite childhood book
to help promote literacy, her thoughts immediately turned to the adventures
of the Exmoor pony Moorland Mousie.

The pre-war classic, she said, reminded her of happy times riding with her sister, Annabel.

But the Duchess’s choice has also been interpreted as a subversive attempt to win over a new generation to the pro-hunting lobby, as the book is staunchly in favour of field sports.

Mousie, the hero and narrator of the book, and his cousin Tinkerbell decide they want to become hunters when they “grow up” after seeing a stag hunt passing by.

While royal insiders suggested the Duchess, who has had a lifelong passion for hunting, had almost certainly forgotten the book’s pro-hunting passages, the Countryside Alliance welcomed her choice of a story that “supports the rural way of life”.

The Duchess, perhaps the country’s best-known campaigner for children’s literacy, was asked to choose the book of the month by Give a Book, a charity that donates books to children who struggle with reading.

After hearing that Moorland Mousie was to be reprinted, she chose the title, saying: “This wonderful book brings back many happy memories of the hours my sister and I spent galloping over the moors with Moorland Mousie and his friends… I hope that children today will love it as much as we did, and Mousie and his friends will enhance their lives, as they did ours.”

The book was written by Muriel Wace under the pseudonym “Golden Gorse”, illustrated by Lionel Edwards, and was first published in 1929. It is based on a real pony of the same name and the people who cared for it.

Told in the voice of Mousie, it includes the passage: “Hounds came into view on the far hill, running hard. Most of the riders were a mile behind.

“Two people only were close to the hounds. One was the huntsman, the other was Farmer. He was shouting out news of the stag, and thoroughly happy, and well he deserved to be.”

The Exmoor pony is a rare native breed, some still living semi-wild on the moorland of Devon and Somerset, which is viewed as excellent hunting ground.

The Duchess is such a passionate supporter of country sports that in 2002 she reportedly wanted to join the Liberty and Livelihood march through London, a protest against New Labour’s hunting ban, but was forbidden by the Prince of Wales, who deemed it too political.

Jill Grieve, of the Countryside Alliance, said: “The Duchess is a country woman through and through.

“We certainly welcome her support for the rural way of life, which has been captured so superbly by many authors over the years.

“Books like this teach children how nature works, and that is a valuable lesson.” A royal insider played down any suggestion that the Duchess was trying to pass on a pro-hunting message to children.

“She has just chosen her favourite book from her childhood,” a source said.

“I don’t for a minute think she has chosen it to send a message. It’s just a much-loved book from when she was a girl, no more, no less.” The Duchess, 64, was brought up in East Sussex, where she became an expert equestrian and enthusiast for hunting and grouse shooting.

She has hunted with some of the country’s best-known packs of hounds, including the Beaufort in Gloucestershire. A spokesman for Clarence House declined to comment.